Shinji Miyazaki

Shinji Miyazaki

Shinji Miyazaki (宮崎慎二,Miyazaki Shinji?, born October 7, 1956) is a Japanese composer and arranger. He was born in Kobe, and lived in a variety of areas on the island of Shikoku for much of his childhood. He developed a taste for pop music, which eventually led him to study musical arrangement and piano instruction at a music conservatory. He took some time in deciding that music would become his career, but eventually decided to become an arranger, and later a composer.

Contents

Life

Miyazaki was born in Kobe, but moved to the Kamiukena District as a small child.[1] Around the age of 12, he moved to Matsuyama, Ehime.[1] His interest in music began as a child. Both of his parents worked, and often left him with a neighbor during the day. The neighbor's older child listened to pop music on his shortwave radio; Miyazaki would listen as with him, particularly to programs like Billboard.[1]

Education

Miyazaki received no formal music training until the age of 20, when he entered a music school to study musical composition with a minor in piano education.[1] In order to pass the college entrance exam, he spent a year teaching himself the material.[1] He spent two years studying for the entrance exams required to attend a true college, but never entered one.[1]

Career

Miyazaki first entertained the thought of making a profession in the music industry after realizing how much the songs he heard on the radio inspired him. When he first became involved with composing works for anime, he worked primarily as an arranger.[1]

Miyazaki admits to not playing the piano well, even though composing on it is his job.[1]

Style and methods

When asked to compose a new piece of music, Miyazaki uses a number of methods, and often works from flashes of inspiration.[1] When deadlines approach and he still has not composed a song, he tries to distract himself by looking at something he finds beautiful or unusual.[1]